Twenty Six is the Magic Number
by chelsia
Summary: A planned collection of 26 KKM ficlets, revolving around chapters titled from A-Z, respectively. Mixture of romance, humor, angst, adventure, and all the likes. It does contain shounen-ai, so be warned. Chp. D up.
1. Aster

AN: o hi thar guys. how's it going. -runs from internet wapanese otaku-

Uh. I like Kyou Kara Maou now. That's it. See profile for more, I guess, but I'm in love with this series k.

Okay, so I totally copied Amindaya's idea of writing a story with 26 chapters based on the alphabet. Chapter one would be A, chapter two would equal B, ect. I was planning to finish or start a story like this, and here it goes. Kyou Kara Maou is such an inspiration to me, compared to Shippuden or Death Note or whatever. (golly gee whiz, **_that's_** why she never udpated!)

Be warned, for there is boyxboy in here. the whole story. because i'm sick like that. yep gay boys. did i tell you how much i love them? l:

As always, Kyou Kara Maou does not belong to me. Neither do the characters. This story was written for pleasure, not profit; take it or leave it, loves.

Anyways, please enjoy reading this; the first chapter will be called...!

--

**_Aster_ (n): a flower with many petals around a yellow disk. Usually a symbol for love, daintiness, and patience.**

At six in the morning, in a rather desolate park, two boys were huddled in a patch of flora that was labeled as 'IMPORTED & UNUSUAL FLOWERS'. How the district managed to just preserve this section with the right condition for these flowers, without any greenhouses or closed off areas, was beyond the minds of anyone.

A light fog enveloped the park, making the air around anyone feel a bit muggy. Rain could be tasted on the air, giving some people the right mind to bring umbrellas.

"And what's this one's name?"

"That? That one's a phlox," pointed out a kneeling down Yuuri, who was leaning over a patch of imported American flowers, tenderly caressing their blossoms. A blond-headed boy clad in 'human' clothes, rather than military attire, was inspecting a purple cluster of plants next to Yuuri. The fair-haired boy had a disapproving look in his jade eyes as he stared down at the flora.

"Earth has such strange names for their vegetation," was all that the blond boy muttered from under his breath. You shouldn't be talking, Yuuri thought, before deciding to voice another comment instead.

The raven-haired boy turned his head enough to have the other one in visual range, and answered with an intellectual, "But said vegetation does not vary that much from the ones in Shin Makoku, right, Wolfram?"

Wolfram made a noise in his throat and carefully lowered himself next to his raven-haired fiancé before pointing at another bunch.

"And those?"

"Which? The whitish-beige ones?"

"No, I mean the plants that seem to be sprouting some kind of human appendage."

"…"

"Yes, I mean the whitish-beige ones, wimp," Wolfram applied his palm directly to his forehead at this; his attempt at being funny? Fail. Or maybe Yuuri could not understand sarcasm? No… maybe it _was_ just Wolfram's poor jab at humor.

"Uh… madders…?" Yuuri said with a hesitant tone, rubbing his chin in thought. "Wait, wait, madders have red roots. It might be… no, wait… they could be magnolias…did it even start with an M?" The black-haired boy rambled on, a vain, cerebral war waging inside his head.

Meanwhile, Wolfram took the time to let his eyes wander, until they settled on a pretty type of flower. It was of a light blue shade for the petals, which ringed around a yellow disk; the flower's color unconsciously reminded Wolfram of another back in Shin Makoku…

"Ah well," Yuuri finally concluded, reeling back from his thoughts, and now giving his full attention to his fiancé. "It doesn't matter. And… crap." The Maou was looking at the watch on his wrist, and let a frown play his lips. He had invited Wolfram (or was more likely threatened to bring the blond here, courtesy of said blond) from Shin Makoku for a planned ten minutes, which should be about a day or so in Shin Makoku, if the days between Earth and his Kingdom were still having time gap issues. Yuuri sighed and glanced over at the fair-haired boy, whose eyes were still fixated on a certain patch of flowers.

Noticing that Yuuri was getting up, Wolfram mirrored his King's actions; but instead of walking in the direction to the nearest pond, fountain, puddle, whatever, the black-haired boy kneeled down by the patch of flowers Wolfram had been looking at. In a moment, a fistful of blue was being presented in Wolfram's general direction. The pureblood Mazoku was taken aback in surprise, but accepted the gift from his fiancé with no real qualms… besides that the certain species of plant had a twin brother back in another world, in which his mother had cultivated as a hobby.

"You should bring these back, and start to sow them in Shin Makoku. It would be great to see if a whole strain of plants can adapt in another world; I'm sure Cheri would love to go and plant something new and rename it all, right, Wolf?"

As Yuuri continued to talk, Wolfram could not help but inquire a few more things.

"So, what's this flower's real name?"

Yuuri slowly trailed off from his original topic to stop and think of an answer. "They're called asters. I like these, because they almost have a star-shape to them… I've always wanted them in my Mom's garden at home, but she says we don't have the right conditions to nurture them." Embarrassment showed in the Maou's cheeks. "I guess I want to see if Shin Makoku could hold them, since it is my second home…"

Wolfram was genuinely interested in Yuuri's explanation, and gave a half-smile in response, before asking, "What's the meaning of it?"

"Contentment… I think it can be a symbolism of daintiness, patience, love…" Again, the black-haired boy's voice faded into an unknown, barely-heard language of his own.

Surprise flashed in Wolfram's eyes for a second, before he pressed further. "And you're… uhm." He paused. He knew that the wimp was not even close to thinking of the meaning when he gave Wolfram these flowers, but nonetheless, as a fiancé, he had to overlook everything. "And you're giving me these flowers while knowing that they are a portrayal of elegance, love, and things along those lines? Or is just for the sake of Shin Makoku?"

Well, those words were enough to drag Yuuri back in from reality.

"Huh?"

Wolfram cleared his throat. "I said—"

"N-no! I know what you said! But Wolf, I gave you those flowers…not wholly Shin Makoku, but I wanted you to bring them back to represent them. I guess it's because it looked like some similar plant back in Shin Makoku, and I guess it would've felt nice to receive something that looks so familiar, but is completely different… sort of like a feeling of déjà vu, although more…pleasant, and less aggravating?"

The blond stared at him long and hard.

"What?"

"But I still gave them to you _with the intent of giving them to you_, okay?"

"Yuuri…"

That left a bittersweet taste on Wolfram's tongue.

The thought of Yuuri giving him anything was enough to melt the arrogant brat into a bubbly mess of emotions.

Alas, the bitterness came from what exactly the flower represented. No, not its symbolism on Earth; but on Shin Makoku, this plant and the one cleverly dubbed 'Konrad Stands upon the Earth' had an uncanny resemblance. And Wolfram was placing his money on the fact that Yuuri only gave him that flower out of the fact it had something to do with Konrad. Like hell it was for Shin Makoku, or it was a pretty shade of blue, or if it resembled a star; it all came down to K-o-n-r-a-d.

While Wolfram was having a tantrum inside himself, Yuuri grabbed the fair-haired boy's wrist and began leading them to the fountain in the centre of the quaint park that they had spent the last ten minutes in.

"Okay, Wolf, you'll need to get back; I don't know how long I trust Greta alone with Anissina for, and as a father, it worries me. And since you're one too, it would be good to kno—"

"Yuuri!" Wolfram snapped abruptly, making the Maou flinch in astonishment. The blond wrenched his wrist back from his fiancé, and used both hands to grip Yuuri's shoulders.

"Why does everything have to do with Konrad when it comes to our relationship?"

Well, even if it was poorly phrased, no matter how he said it, it would have sounded selfish to any ear, so Wolfram decided on the blunt approach.

Yuuri raised a questioning brow. "Huh?"

Inhale. "Yuuri, no matter what, everything comes down to Konrad. When I rescued you from that cliff, all you had on your mind was Konrad. When we're having a conversation, my brother's name always finds a way to pop up. When you're asleep, you always say something about, while you're conscious of it or not, Konrad, and never me." Wolfram shook Yuuri's shoulders to gain more of a reaction from the boy. "Even now, giving me that present, it had to do with Konrad." Exhale.

Yuuri didn't respond with any protests of the sort. Wolfram dug his fingers into the thin material of Yuuri's shirt, hoping to leave marks on the boy's shoulders. His words still lay thick in the air, and he knew he needed an answer now before he left.

Finally, the Maou spoke without falter.

"It may be true that I did think you would like a flower similar to that of your brother's, but with the knowledge that I…" a bit of a break here, in which the black-haired boy was choking on his own words, "…that I, your fiancé, would be giving you something, I thought you would be elated, to a point."

It was true that Wolf should be content to receive anything in this one-sided love that distraught the fair-haired boy so, but apparently this did not wholly convince Wolfram, for the Mazoku was yet to declaw himself from the dark-headed one.

Yuuri continued. "Wolfram, when you were kidnapped, I was the one who blindly followed with the intent of catching you. I was the one who did everything in my might to get you back after you were chosen as a replacement for me. I was the on—"

"But it doesn't matter!" Now the child side, which was half to the majority of Wolfram, was completely exposed, becoming desperate for attention. "No matter how hard I try, it is always Konrad who is there to rescue you, there to protect you! I do get chances, I'll admit, but they are not big enough ones that will actually put me in peril for you! Yuuri, how oblivious can you be, to see that I would give anything to be in Konrad's place right now!?"

Wolfram's voice echoed throughout the empty, foggy air of the park. Yuuri stared at the blond, while Wolfram began to deflate. He was tired. He hated how the human world had nothing that would come to distract their lover's quarrel, even for only a second. Anything, even Soushu, was better than dealing with matters such as these. He needed to go back to Shin Makoku and be thankful for a time gap so he could think up an apology or a way to botch things up, even if they would fall apart again soon, anyways.

And the blond was sure Yuuri would agree, because when self-indulgent Wolfram acts up, it's worse than dealing with the aftermath of a hundred of Anisinna's failed experiments. Distance is what they needed, but it also is the ideal disaster to strike any couple, happy or mismatched, destined or just unlucky.

The spell of silence lasted forever, before Yuuri let out some strangled noise somewhere deep in his throat. At first, Wolfram thought it was going to slowly evolve into one of those 'Maou lectures', but the sound was soon recognized and categorized as something definitely unanticipated.

Laughter. Yuuri was laughing.

Yuuri was laughing in the middle of a park at six in the morning on a Sunday, after having a more or less catty fight with a certain blond fiancé, which was wrapped up by said fiancé pretty much confessing how envious he was of his older brother.

An irritated Wolfram spoke after the Maou's chuckling had finished after a good thirty seconds or so. "What."

"Wolf, you sound just like Konrad and his speeches of protecting me. It's amusing, to a point."

That only made the blond glower. Here Yuuri goes again, talking about the caramel-haired 'knight in shining armor'…bleh.

"But," Yuuri hiccupped here, and rubbed the corner of one eye, trying to swipe a drop of water that had formed while chuckling only moments before. "I am not insulting you when I say that you are not fit for Konrad's position, Wolf."

Of course, Wolfram was fully loaded with a million and a half reasons and about to object, before Yuuri cut him off.

"Konrad is viewed to me as a… father, almost. More so than the one I have here, on Earth, anyway. Other than that, he is my bodyguard. Of course he'll end up saving me most of the times when you can't; that's what he's sworn his life to do, and I'd rather it be that way."

Wolfram's pride was being smothered, as if someone was grinding out a cigarette with their heel. It was slowly being shredded to bits of dust and miniscule particles, before it would be taken by the wind, where it could be swept away forever. Ouchie.

"However, Wolf," Yuuri continued, for he was not finished with his heroic speech that was unoriginally generic, "I see you more as a person to support me through emotional crisis's, instead of life-threatening ones… but I would appreciate it if you were also there for the latter. Wolfram, you are my f…fiancé, but if you change positions with Konrad, it would be Konrad who would be coupled with me. Instead, you'd be out there, protecting me from harm…" Yuuri paused and chanced a glance at Wolfram. "See where I'm going with this?"

Wolfram had taken all this into consideration, and began to slowly nod. "So what you're saying is," he drawled out, thoughtfully, before continuing, "that you would rather be with me than Konrad?"

Yuuri nodded. Of course, being Wolfram, the blond took the Maou's words for another meaning, and decided to continue on.

"So, are you saying that I'm the one you care most about? Or were you just choosing me out of Konrad?"

Yuuri beaome colored in his cheeks. "You're making it sound like that I don't care about Konrad at all."

Wolfram lifted a questioning brow.

Sighing in defeat, and flushing darker, Yuuri managed to get out something along the words of, "But yeah, I guess I do care about you a rather awful lot…"

Words could simply not describe Wolfram's selfish euphoria at Yuuri's last sentence.

The blond embraced him, careful not to crush the asters in hand. He pulled back enough to have his lips hovering next to Yuuri's ear, and Yuuri could almost feel the smile on the boy's lips. Uh oh. "I'll take that as one step towards a love confession, wimp."

An alarm rang off inside Yuuri's head, before he cleverly positioned himself as to where Wolfram was in front of him, as well as the water fountain.

"You're right, Wolfram," Yuuri said, trying to play along for a bit, until he could find another day to deal with his fiancé. "The woman in a relationship is always right."

Blushing, Wolfram opened his mouth to object, but Yuuri had it in his right mind to forcefully push the blond back. In slow motion, he could see a look of complete shock reflect in green pools as the pureblood Mazoku fell into the water, and was sucked not-so-elegantly back into a completely different world.

A good ten seconds passed before Yuuri let out a sigh of relief. Okay, maybe it was not the smoothest argument or serious moment or whatever he had with his fair-haired fiancé, but it would have to do until he could think of a way to make Wolfram interpret all of this as a misunderstanding… right?

--

**EDIT: Sorry, I had to edit some things. I think I might've lost a review idk. D:**

AN: Uh well. Uhm. If any of you are reading from past experiences, I'd be delighted at the thought if you could read and review.

But then again, how many of you are reading from times before? ;w; woops. bad author hailey, bad.

No promises, no lies; who knows how far this story will go until it can't go any further? idk. It's gonna be 26 chapters of ficlets; read the top if you haven't.

So I need some (constructive) feedback: What did you think so far? Is Hais a bad person? Well, yes, but she needs more proof. Also, what's your guess for the next letter? (ahaha, sorry amindaya and others) Any questions, comments, concerns? Certain pairing or theme you'd like to see in the next chapter? (Please keep in mind that this is going to be a collection of 26 one-shots, and no continuation of any of the chapters... maybe.)

ohshit i need to go to tennis so let me wrap this up in simple words.

As always, I'd love it if you told me how it was, lovelies! ;D


	2. Bodice

**A/N: Thanks to the people who reviewed the first chapter! I don't have time right now, so next chapter I'll respond to your reviews!**

**This one is sort of eeeeh. If you like crossdressing, you'll like this. If not, leave or I'll ruin your life on the internet. I has connections... ;D**

**Pairings ( forgot to add this detail last chapter ) : slight YuurixWolfram**

**Disclaimer: don't own anything except for writing this k.**

**Notes: this is boys love, so be warned. includes crossdressing and panty shots.**

**--**

Bodice (n): The upper part of a woman's dress, extending from the waist to the shoulders; a tight corset that is laced over a blouse.

"Yozak, can you not be so forceful when it comes to this?"

"Ahaha, that's nonsense, your Excellency! I know you're going to refuse if I don't force you into this!"

"Gaaah! Let go of me!"

Yuuri had been in his own room with Wolfram, until Yozak knocked on the door awhile ago. Wolfram then told Yuuri to politely get the hell out of the room ("What are you standing there for, wimp!? I told you to get out!"), and was listening to Wolfram's protests against Yozak and whatever he was doing to the blond. He had to admit, it was starting to aggravate him… not knowing, or even sure he _wanted_ to know, what was going on. He felt a twinge of something in his consciousness, but the Maou tried to wave it off as something else.

"J-just hold on, Yozak! Who do you think you're touching?!" Yuuri's ears seemed to prick forward, straining to hear the conversation. "And where do you think you're touching, at that matter?!"

That was the last exclamation from the blond, before an arcane pulse of _something_ coursed through his veins, sending him to throw open the heavy oak door and barge into his room.

The picture before him was definitely questionable.

A redheaded soldier had wrestled a particularly pretty boy onto the floor, using one strong hand to press against the boy's back to keep him pinned, while the other dangled a _very _suggestive article of women's clothing in front of Wolfram's red face.

Yuuri stared at the two of them.

Yozak merely grinned and nodded to His Majesty in acknowledgement.

Wolfram could only gaze in horror as his fiancé had walked in on such an embarrassing scene.

Sensing the discomfort, Yozak went on to explain things. "Aaah, young master! Wolfram here is trying on a gift from his Mama!" Wolfram now made one last desperate endeavor to escape from Yozak's grasp, but was instead hoisted up and held by the armpits, vulnerable to Yuuri's stare, which seemed to widen by the second.

White and pink. Lots of it, or too little of it, depending on how one viewed it.

One of Cheri's custom-made dresses, Yuuri guessed; the bottom, skirt-like part to it was one layer of frills after another, and stopped a few inches above the ankles. The starting color for the skirt's striped pattern was pink, and then white, pink, white, etcetera. It was like a classic French maid dress, excluding its color and top.

The upper part of Wolfram was half covered by a taut looking corset, called a bodice, if he could recall. When Yuuri was young, his mother loved to try on different types of dresses on him, from the classic kimono to mid 14th century European frocks. Thankfully, Yuuri's mother never put the bodice on him, for he was only a child at the time; but his mother herself wanted to try on one of those chic dresses too, bought one, and put on the corset with the attire. She wore the costume with difficulty all day; all she did was complain about how she could not breathe and how it hurt to eat, but was proud of the results, nonetheless.

Although for Wolfram, the bodice was not laced up all the way yet, and he looked sort of ridiculous standing there, hands balling into fists and then releasing to try and feel less insecure under Yuuri's gaze. The sleeves, pink in color, were only three-quarters, and had some black lace bows at the end. The front of the bodice was plain white, thankfully, and nothing too revealing. If it _did_ have something along those lines, he was afraid of how Wolfram would go about it, since he had nothing to reveal in the first place.

"Hey Yozak…" started Yuuri, looking back up at the Rütenburg Patriot. "I know Wolfram let you in, but this is the Maou's room. If you don't mind…" A nervous smile showed on Yuuri's face, and Yozak blinked, but understood. The black-haired boy was not trying to be uncouth, only considerate of Wolfram's comfort level at the moment.

"Alright then, young master. You can have fun dolling up Wolfram for tonight," hummed the redhead, before exiting the room and walking down the corridor. Yuuri followed behind him for a bit, before closing the door. He then turned to face his fiancé.

Wolfram refused to make any eye contact with Yuuri, and Yuuri refused to stop staring at Wolfram until he said something. Silence ensued.

Eventually, it was the blond who broke down and heatedly whipped his head towards Yuuri, intense eyes all but daring the dark-haired boy to question his attire.

"So… what's going on tonight?" Yuuri tried to avoid the matter of Wolfram's apparel, but it was dreadfully inevitable.

Wolfram sighed and walked over to their bed, ungracefully plopping down. "Mother is finally coming back from her search for free love, but only for awhile."

Yuuri looked at him incredulously, before padding over to where Wolfram was and settling down next to the fair-haired Mazoku. "And so that's the reason of your cross-dressing?" The blond merely grunted. "Well, it _has_ been awhile since we've seen Cheri… and it's definitely not surprising of what she would request of some people, but just for her little welcome party tonight?" No answer from Wolfram. "Don't you think that's too much?"

"Mother is mother," Wolfram said hotly. "And I would do anything to see her happy with me." Cue a suspicious stare from Yuuri.

"You really are a momma's boy, Wolf. I hate to say it, but not many boys would go that far to please their mother's whims." He looked down, only to see painted fingers pulling at a stray hem on the edge of the bedspread. Yuuri watched on, amused; _he even painted his fingers? Jeez. Even my mom had no intent of going that far of dressing me as a girl… I think._

After a brief silence, Wolfram stood up and looked down at Yuuri.

"Hey, wimp, do you mind helping me finish putting this on?"

"Hm? Oh, sure…"

--

Ten minutes later, Wolfram found himself successfully dressed in the clothing his mother had requested.

"Yuuri, should I even bother to ask where you learned how to put on dresses like these?"

"Wolfram, should I even bother to ask why you're wearing a dress like this?"

The two glared at each other hard, before Yuuri started smiling that stupid, infectious smile, and Wolfram could not help but let a grin split his lips. A warm laughter was shared between the two for awhile, and it felt nice.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Yuuri wished it was always this way with Wolfram and himself, where the atmosphere resembled that of a happy... couple.

Moments like those never lasted long, because there was always an interruption; this time it was by Wolfram's eyes broadening, a blush spreading like wildfire over his cheeks, and loss of voice.

The blond was staring over Yuuri's shoulder at something that had fully captured his attention. Yuuri gently touched his fiancé's shoulder, frowning in concern. "Wolf? What's wrong?"

The blond sprung up, making Yuuri jump back in surprise. Wolfram pulled up his frills a bit, and made an awkward dash at the foot of the bed, where a gift bag and a bunch of tissue paper were strewn. Yuuri had enough time to see Wolfram pick up a small piece of clothing that was hidden by the trash. The Mazoku had surreptitiously hid it behind his back, and then demanded Yuuri get out at once.

Before he knew it, Yuuri found himself outside his room again, after being reprimanded by his fiancé. He sighed in defeat and slumped against the wall.

The rather new maid, Effe, passed by, pushing a cart of her delectable confections. Yuuri guessed those were going to the banquet room for Cheri's homecoming. The Maou made eye contact with her and offered a polite smile and a wave, in which she stopped her task and bowed.

"Say, Effe, do you know where Greta is?"

The girl straightened up and thought for a moment, a slender finger coming up to rest on her cheek. Amethyst eyes then shone with an answer, before she brightly said, "I believe Princess Greta went to greet Queen Cecile, Your Majesty."

Yuuri made an incoherent noise at this, thanked Effe and waited for her to go about her way. When the maid had turned the corner, the black-haired boy threw open his door, only to get an unexpected, to say the least, greeting.

Wolfram was bent over, re-strapping the high heel shoes to his stocking-clad feet. But it wasn't so much the whole 'oh hey Wolfram is tying his girly shoes' idea, but something that appealed_ much_ more to Yuuri's hormones than he would have liked.

The fair-haired boy was situated in such a way that allowed the skirt part of his attire to rise and give him a nice view of…

An intense wave of heat hit him, and his hands instantly went up to cover his mouth. He… oh _god_… was he even allowed to have thoughts like _those_ of his _fiancé _come to mind?

"Yuuri! What do you think you're staring at?!" the harsh voice that did not match with his fiancé's lovely face definitely set off some warning bells. He could not bring himself to look at Wolfram, for he knew the blond saw him staring a little too long at something that he should not have been interested in to begin with. Interestingly enough, said blonde was brought to a stiff upright, and facing the Maou in an ominous stance.

Oh _shit_.

Wolfram began to advance towards Yuuri at an alarming rate, heels clacking against the tiled floor. The black-haired boy acted on instinct and keeled over into a fetal position, using his arms to try to secrete himself, blurting out whatever half-hearted apologies came to mind that would save his own ass.

"W- w- w- wait, Wolf! I- I didn't mean it! S- Sorry!" One leg donned with a particularly perilous high heel was being lifted and being carefully calculated as to where to aim on the Maou. "Cheri is here! Th- that's I came to tell you, y-yeah!"

Wolfram froze. Letting the words sink in, his face that was once flushed with embarrassment began to pale. He turned and put his foot down, gathered his frills, and began to move out the door in an approach more or less elegant attained by a proud soldier in women's garments.

Yuuri slowly uncurled himself from his position on the floor and watched his fiancé go. Well, there went one problem. Now he had to take care of a more _personal_ problem.

--

**A/N: Well, I finished this awhile ago. Sorry for not putting it up. I actually continued this for a whole two pages more... but it was too long and blah so I just decided to post this where I originally stopped. Woops. xx I know I said I wouldn't make 'continuations', but I might post the second part of this for another letter, but not for Letter C! ;D**

**Read and Review, please!**


	3. Cynosure

**A/N: Lol sorry. High school is fun, but time consuming. (No. I just procrastinate and I'm lazy. But, nonetheless, I kicked myself and updated!)**

**lol this one is pretty short. sorry.**

**Pairing: hinting at GwenAnissina**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to their rightful owners (aka, miss takabayashi). I only wrote it. :c**

**Notes: Nothing gay, for once. -runs- Also, anything in _italics_ is happening in her mind, and not happening outside her head.**

**--**

Cynosure (n): The center of attention.

**"Anissina!"**

**"Lady von Karbelnikoff!"**

**"Miss Anissina, don't...!"**

However she was called, she would always bask in both negative and positive syllables of her name. The female inventor knew that the more times people said her name, the more times an image of her would be etched into their minds.

And that was Anissina's top goal; to become well-known through infamous or famous means of her inventions (though, preferably, through positive awareness).

Something inside her made her crave to be the cynosure of all things resulting in chaos, so that in the end, when everyone looked back on it, a certain sanguine, redheaded lady with the most spellbinding blue eyes would be in that scratchy sepia picture, a Machiavellian grin playing her lips.

Anissina was at the peak of reaching that point, about to clear the first mountain of her soon-to-be legend, hands about to push her up from that rocky wall and on to the top of the mountain, before deciding to take a step forward and scale over the next one.

As of so far, her name had become almost as feared as Soushu's… but the fine lady had no idea why she was feared. Why couldn't people see how they should be honored at the simple thought of becoming guinea pigs for her next genius experiment? Oh well. It was their lost spot on her podium in history.

But of course, Anissina would have accomplished these things a lot sooner, had it not been for failures here and there. Failures were caused by missing or wrong tools, or incorrect timing. She could accept mistakes in her inventions… but when it came to her personal life, she disliked the fact of being wrong and loosing her position of attention.

And as of quite recently, something had been very troubling for said lady.

Maybe it was a faulty variable, or something that triggered a bad atmosphere?

Anissina could not place her finger on it, but she would constantly run simulations in her head as to figure out why things would end of the way it would. For example,

…_The kingdom was chanting a name over and over again. A word that was familiar to the inventor, as it was her own name. It resounded along the cobblestone walls of Shin Makoku's village and into Blood Pledge Castle. Anissina stood on a balcony, shouts of adorations and thanks blessing her ears._

_The redhead inventor, after days of toiling and effort in her lab with time not in her favor, had managed to complete a creation of a lifetime, her masterpiece. But time had been running out, and there was a looming, tense mood the Mazoku of their town due to a threat of civil war over two controversy views. The aristocrats in Blood Pledge Castle had been trying to solve it with treaties between the different sides, while even His Majesty could not alleviate the people's itching to attack each other over verbal opinions._

_And Anissina had found a way in her head, which left her working until she had completed said masterwork, and put it to its full power when the pent-up antagonism was on the verge of being released…_

…_and then the two sides had come to an agreement, and everyone was looking at the cynosure, Anissina, amazed at what she had done. And then there were apologies and things were being resolved, and everything would soon dissolve into how it was before…_

At this point in time, the dream would be running smoothly inside the inventor's head, as she tilted her face up a little, leaning back against the head of her bed, a smile ghosting over her glossy lips.

But her smile vanished, because she knew that the conclusion of her simulation would end up becoming something of suspicion to her. Everything about it made her feel something inside, something that was akin to the accomplishment of a successful invention, yet it burned much harsher, scorching her inside.

…_While separate congratulations were given to Lady von Karbelnikoff, someone had approached her, and in a voice that made all her lightheadedness disappear, said,_

"…_Anissina. Good work."_

Anisinna's eyes snapped open again, and she mentally scowled at herself for letting her fantasy liquefy at one thought that had her heart drumming against her chest.

Surely she would not feel that way if Gwendal had really said it to her face, and not in some dream? Why would she be so flustered over this proud person who was her childhood friend?

The inventor pondered awhile on this, as she did almost daily. Why, why, why, why, why?

Since Gwendal had said it, would it mean… Did it mean she had really accomplished her striving goal, and she was fearful of having nothing to chase after? Was it making her annoyed because she felt Gwendal had said it with sarcasm, and that she had not done well enough? Or was it just because those were the words she needed to hear most from the person she needed to hear it from the most?

Anissina, being the proud women she was, could not accept the fact that one person's words, a man at that, could make her come to a conclusion about herself. Shouldn't it be herself that was telling her she did a good job, and she should just accept it?

**_Even if you did do a good job and you continue to tell yourself that, you still want confirmation, right?_**

_I'm always absolute in my decisions. I don't need his or the whole kingdom's opinion; I only need their attention and adoration to make my mark in history._

_**How selfish of you… don't you want a partner to scale the mountains of fame with you? Isn't in a bit hard going alone?**_

_No._

_**Aren't guinea pigs like partners, though?**_

_They're only stepping stones._

_**That's cold... but being the selfish person that you are, wouldn't it be nice to have someone to be just a bit dependant of?**_

Anissina faltered in the conversation between herself, in which her conscience was winning.

**_I see how it is… you don't want him to join your quest of conquering your dreams, because it would all be meaningless in the end. And it's because you're doing this all for him, and you know it. If he were to help you, there would be a sense of incompletion. It would be as if you only did half your work, and unfulfilled your wish of making him see you through impressed eyes._**

Those statements could not have been truer.

But why couldn't Anissina accept it? It continually bothered her that, in the end, even though she was kicking and screaming and trying to stay away from the generic girl's dreamy crush, she had fallen victim to it.

* * *

The next day, Anissina confronted Gwendal in his office.

Two pairs of blue eyes were locked together; one brilliant pair was a reflective pool of emotions, while the other one was clouded in distrust with brows furrowed in annoyance.

Anissina spoke first.

"Gwendal, I have come to a conclusion."

"You'll stop with your silly inventions and save us money on medical treatment for those injured by your experiments, as well as making repairs to the castle?"

She sighed, and with a smile, continued. "No, you won't get rid of my useful inventions yet. But I want it to be clear," In this break of words, Gwendal mouthed the word 'useful' with a questioning face, but it went unnoticed. "That when I finally become an accomplished inventor, I want to stay by your side."

Sir von Voltaire stared at the confident inventor of the Karbelnikoff family, speechless. Anissina cocked her head to the side, and inquired with finality, "Well, Gwendal? Is that fine with you?"

Gwendal had always liked cute things, and in secret, he had always thought of Anissina's determination cute in a way, as well as striking. And through everything they had been through as childhood friends and now, he was attached to the fiery girl, nonetheless.

So knowing that Anissina would not take no for an answer, and that she was putting her full seriousness into this declaration, Gwendal covered half of his face with his hand, and with a fierce blush, agreed to her proposal.

A swelling of accomplishment filled the lady.

She knew that, as of now, she had become the cynosure of Gwendal's thoughts to come. What she was not sure of (or rather, hoped for) was that she could remain the cynosure in Gwendal's life for spells of time to come.

--

**A/N: Okay, so I lied. I'm gonna reply to reviewers next time around! So, leave a review for this chapter, and I'll respond to it the next one!**

**Good news, too! I wrote up to chapter F. I just need to type them up~ Sorry for the wait, though. I really am! -bows-**

**Hopefully chapter D will be up tomorrow.**

**By the way, care to guess the word? It's two words... sorta**


	4. Dark Horse

**A/N: I decided to finish the rest of this chapter while I'm sick and at home. I had written it out already, but I lost the file on my USB and ended up with half of it missing.**

**So without further distractions, here's the completed piece!**

**Pairing: Konrad/Yozak, a pinch of YuuRam, and just a smidgen of KonDorcas... yep.**

**Disclaimer: Hey, if I owned Kyou Kara Maou, Dorcas would have hair and Yuuri would ride a unicorn every day. -throws up rainbows-**

**Notes: sorry the story is back to being gay. if you don't like gay men, _please_, why are you here?**

--

Dark horse (n): an unexpected winner or candidate.

"Are you going to enter my contest, Your Majesty? I would be honored if you did!"

Yuuri was confused, to say the least. He glanced at Wolfram, who was glaring at his older brother for god knows what reason.

So instead the black-haired boy turned to Konrad, who was ignoring Wolfram, and was giving a nervous, almost contrite smile to Yuuri, glancing down from his expectant mother to the Maou.

Seeing that no one was going to explain and that he should have probably known about this, he sheepishly grinned and inquired the lady herself about her contest.

"My annual women's beauty pageant is going on this week, Your Majesty! I'd be delighted if you would enter." The ex-Maou giggled and leaned forward a bit, willing to hear Yuuri's answer.

The black-haired boy, on the other hand, was wondering as to why the hell he should be joining in the first place. Last time Yuuri checked, he didn't have two lobs of fat growing from his chest, or was missing Shibuya Jr.

Sensing his uncertainty, Cheri smiled and explained. "Even if it may be a contest for women, men can always cross-dress to participate, as well!"

"Really now…" Yuuri muttered. But wasn't that unfair for the ladies, since it wasn't an all girls' competition? Sighing, the Maou turned around towards the back of the room; behind him stood Gwendal, Murata, Günter, and Yozak, who raised eyebrows at His Majesty's pleading look. Yuuri's eyes begged for help, but three of the four looked away, unable to help their King in squirming out of Cheri's spectacle.

Amethyst eyes sparkled with intelligence as Günter stepped forward, an apologetic look given to the ex-Maou.

"I'm sorry, Lady Cheri, but His Majesty is busy that day." Yuuri could not have been more grateful to Günter as he was right now. "But," Günter started, and the Maou was now half tempted to take those words back; there was a glint in the magician's eyes that meant he was not entirely free of this situation. "His Majesty does have room to stay for a bit and give a ceremonial speech."

Yuuri inwardly shuddered. Really, he would rather cross-dress than give a boring dialogue that lulled people to sleep.

Cheri sighed and placed her chin delicately on the palm of her hand. "That's a shame… I would have thought that Your Majesty wanted the prize."

The Maou's posture became straighter, and he found himself unconsciously leaning in to the fair-haired lady's next words.

"After all, the prize not only consists of the frontrunner winning fame out of looks, but also a kiss from Konrad~!"

Everyone stared blankly from Cheri to Konrad, except for Wolfram (who had known all along, and was still glaring daggers at his older brother).

Yuuri blinked and turned to look at the brown-haired soldier, who waved it off. "It's only a kiss on the cheek. It won't be indecent."

The Maou flushed a pretty pink, before Wolfram ripped his eyes away from Konrad and noisily tromped over to his fiancé. Soon, a heel was ground into Yuuri's foot, sending the boy yelping in pain.

"Yuuri, I know what you're thinking! Don't even plan to cancel whatever schedule you have now, because I won't let you enter that contest!"

"I wasn't planning too! H-hey! Let go of me!"

Meanwhile, Günter was still staring at Konrad, speechless. It was one thing if the fire-wielding Mazoku was His Majesty's fiancé… but the thought of another man kissing the poor boy…!

A second later, the magician had pardoned himself to the library, sobbing in defeat.

Wolfram than proceeded to drag His Majesty out of the room by the ear, with a worried Konrad following the two, politely asking for Wolfram to let go. Cheri watched them leave, an amused expression never leaving her face.

Somewhere from the back, Gwendal sighed and rubbed his temple with annoyance. "Honestly, Mother. Why must you cause more trouble than necessary?"

Murata smiled and shrugged at Yozak, before leaving to go after the trio that had just left; Yozak, though, stayed unusually hushed in the back, an impish gleam in his eyes.

…_Even cross-dressers can enter, eh?_

--

Cheri's competition arrived, along with many beautiful women (and men). There were more competitors than usual, and it was no mystery they were all after the Lord Weller part of the prize.

Said prize in question had been shifting around uncomfortably all day, thinking about where a certain cross-dressing spy had wandered off to.

As the usual royal group sat perched in the balcony's plush seats, waiting for all the contestants to prepare themselves, a certain fair-haired Mazoku was sitting way too close for the Maou's comfort (as he was persistent of keeping him away from Konrad).

Wolfram had begun to talk to the black-haired boy about contests before this, and how his mother had even forced Gwendal to dress in drag. An occasional 'wimp' or 'cheater' could be heard from under his breath, but Yuuri was too busy looking at how full and inviting his fiancé's lips were and just how close they were in proximity.

Cheri chose that fine moment to interrupt. With elegance, she stood up from her throne, and addressed the people under the terrace. "Everyone, I would like your attention, please! I would like to start the contest immediately… but first, a word from our beloved Maou!"

Yuuri's groaning was tuned out by cheers of the citizens, and he reluctantly moved to the head of the balcony, flashing his 'dazzling' King smile.

--

Yozak looked up at His Majesty, who had just appeared before the crowd on the terrace.

The black-haired boy started his speech, but the spy could not concentrate on his King's words. Instead, azure eyes, now outlined with mascara and gaudy eye shadow, searched for a brown-haired soldier overhead. He wasn't the only one looking; tons of gorgeous girls and guys were also looking for the handsome man.

For some reason, Yozak felt threatened in this competition of looks. Usually, he would have a definite air about him... but this year's rivalry looked more promising than years before it.

The man tried to shake off his worries; hey, he had won more of these competitions than anyone else here, right?

…Then why was he just as nervous as when he was going into Rütenburg?

_It's probably because of the prize_, he thought with a selfish grin, finally spotting Konrad. Oh, how Yozak needed to claim what was rightfully his…

"Thank you, thank you; and without further adieu, we shall start the contest! May the best woman… uh, or the best man, win!"

With a chuckle at His Majesty's ending words, Yozak moved with the other contestants to their place. They were ready for the next few hours of battle, in which they fought using cosmetics and charm as their only weapons.

--

An orange canvas spilled into the sky overhead; sunset had come, and with it, the end of Cheri's exhibition of the beautiful.

Along the line, Yuuri and Wolfram had disappeared (which frightened Günter at the thought of what the Little Lord Brat was going to do with His Majesty, while there were just the two of them…alone…). The ones that remained on the balcony were the lady herself (her smile turned devious as she picked the winner out in her mind), Konrad (who was holding a bouquet, and a bit anxious to see who had won), Gwendal (a few more wrinkles had appeared on his brow), a panicking Günter (due to the royal couple, no doubt), and Murata (who was enjoying himself to no end).

When everything was settled down, and everyone was gathered at the foot of the terrace waiting patiently, Cheri decided it was time for the time to announce the winner.

With a wily grin over her cherry-glossed lips, the ex-Maou rose and faced the eager crowd. Her hazel eyes shimmered as she said,

"And our dark horse of my pageant is…!"

--

Dorcas had always been a proud soldier.

That responsibility came with honor, such as accepting any mission given to him, even if that mission meant dressing up in frilly skirts and being suffocated with perfumes and makeup.

So when Lady Cheri announced Dorcas as the official winner of her yearly competition… well, no one could believe it. Hell, even Dorcas himself wasn't even expecting himself to get a second glance from the hostess herself.

"Mister Dorcas, if you will, please step forward and announce your presence."

The not-so-bald-anymore (courtesy of a blonde, itchy wig on his head) soldier stiffened; his legs worked on their own and carried him from out of the throng of people and into the opening, where all (jealous) eyes were focused on him. The pressure coming from the sore contestants who lost was honing in all around him, and the man was ready to hightail it out of there.

He almost succeeded, if it weren't from the threats given from the sideline.

"Dorcas! If you dare run away, Lasagna, Doria, and myself will hunt you down!"

"Yeah, what Sanguria said!"

"Come on, Dorcas! You _actually_ won it!"

Ah, yes. The ones who put Dorcas in a dress to begin with; the three maids (minus Effe) had begged and begged, until the man could finally not stand it any longer. Now they were to blame for his triumph, for he could never live this embarrassment down when the other soldiers would confront him.

_Oh, whatever, maybe half the guys aren't even here watching thi—_

The soldier's entire body froze in terror as he remembered the prize. Oh, god; no _way_ was going to be showing his face to his Commander, Lord Weller, after that. It would…

Beads of sweat formed around his forehead, and he tried to calm himself down_. If this keeps going on, my makeup will run and then – **What the hell!!?** Am I some teenaged girl now?!_

But before Dorcas could make another move or think another thought, Cheri had emerged from the crowd on the opposite side, her son in tow.

"Here you go, 'Beauty Queen'," Cheri giggled and smiled, beckoning at her middle son. Dorcas was going to die before he even looked at his Commander, no doubt about that.

Konrad bowed slightly, producing a gorgeous bouquet of fresh red roses. The bald soldier awkwardly took them, thanked the pair, and tried to escape…

…but Konrad was too quick, and grabbed his subordinate's shoulder, before leaning down and placing a peck on Dorcas's cheek.

"I think it's unfair for the other contestants if you were to turn down the prize."

With that, Lord Weller brought himself to a straightened positioned, and tried to spot his Rütenburg comrade in the mass. The man could not spot any vibrant, orange hair dazzling among the contestants.

To Konrad's dismay, the only thing that rivaled Yozak's hair within 10 miles of the area was Dorcas's face.

--

Dusk has settled, leaving a cold night to envelop the citizens of Shin Makoku.

Konrad tried to shake of the sudden drop in temperature as he patrolled along Blood Pledge Castle for his nightly watch, wondering what happened to the warmth that so nicely presented itself in the earlier hours. The day had been hectic, to say the least, with his mother's competition and shameless fangirls confronting him every second. Alas, it was almost over; the only mystery he was yet to solve was as to where Yozak had disappeared to.

_Well, he's on the same patrol hours as I am right now_, Konrad thought, now rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. _Hmm, I usually run into him by now…_

Sure enough, just as the words formed in his head, he spotted his friend turning around the corner and striding towards him.

Yozak's infectious grin spread over to Konrad's lips as the two stopped in front of the other, before said spy began to speak.

"Sorry I didn't stick around for the ending of the competition. I saw my messenger pigeon come back with news from Miss Gilbit about Caloria's restoration."

Out of all the questions that had been swirling and swelling inside his head all day, the only intelligent response Konrad was able to wrack from his mind was, "…Ah."

The orange-haired man shook his head, still grinning. "Ah well, never mind that." He looked up, blue eyes making direct eye contact with his comrade. "So Commander, did I win your Mama's contest?"

"I'm afraid not," Konrad laughed, his arm extending to wrap around his friend's shoulders. With a wink, he added, "But it was a close call."

"Oh? Is there a prize for second place, then?"

"Of course."

In a moment, their lips were smashed together in a rhythm of desire, of urgency; arms were snaked around shoulders and bodies were being pressed together with such needing to get the other closer than they already were. Tongues were battling for dominance over the other in a heated war, sending fervent electricity through their veins every time it swept across that one spot. When they had to break for air, blue eyes met brown, both boring into each other.

Words weren't needed for their affection towards each other. After years of doing battle together, just the simplest glance and meet of eyes told a command – it was communication through vision.

So in that little spell of time when they were not molesting each other's mouth, three words were reflected in both of their eyes.

Three words that meant more than winning a silly beauty pageant could ever mean.

---

**A/N: hurrr, i don't know anymore. i'll get updating again, but i've been working on my AMVs too much OTL Please read and review, loves~**


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